Electrically controlled mechanism for a thermostatic choking device



- June 12, 1934- K. N. WILLMORE ET AL ELEGTRICALLY CONTROLLED MECHANISMFOR A THERMOSTATIC CHOKING DEVICE Filed Feb. 8, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2gwuwms MIG/{I'M WIIlMObE CAR O STUCKER AFC/l R CA/YROLL Patented June12, 1934' UNITED STATES ELECTRICALLY commoner) mzcnmsm FOR A VICE THERMOSTATIC CHOKING DE- Knight N. Willmore, Arch P. Carroll, and cal-1 0Stucker, Fairfax, Okla.

Application February 8, 1932, Serial No. 591,706

8 Claims. (Cl. 123-179) This invention relates to an electricallycontrolled mechanism for a thermostatic choking device for use inconnection with internal combustion engines or motors. The presentinvention is an enlargement or improvement upon the previous applicationfiled by us September 26, 1931, Serial Number 565,368, and relating toThermostatic carburetor choke devices.

The principal object of the present invention is the production of anelectrically controlled device which electrically controls thechoke'after the starting of the engine without the necessity of manuallyactuating a choke valve.

A still further object of this invention is the production of a simpleand efllcient electrical mechanism which will automatically control thechoke valve and which will also automatically return to a resettingposition as the thermostat associated with the electrical mechanismcools. With these and other objects in view, this in.- vention consistsin the novel construction, combinations and arrangements of parts aswill be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings: s

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the electrical control device used inconnection with a heatv control damper mounted in the elbow whichconnects to the exhaust manifold, the casing or cover plate of thecasing which supports the electrical mechanism being broken away to showthe interior mechanism mounted within the casing;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through a portion of theexhaust manifold, -and also showing the thermostatic control valvecasing and electrically controlled mechanism in longitudinal section;

Figure 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the electrical mechanism shown in thesecond position, the electrical mechanism in Figure 1 being shown in thefirst position; and

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the electrical control mechanism shownin its third position;

By referring to the drawings, it will be seen that 1 designates theexhaust manifold of the usual type, to which may be secured an elbow 2within which is pivotally mounted the heat controlled damper 3, whichdamper 3 may be actuated in any suitable or desired manner, manually orotherwise, by means of a suitable con-' nection secured to the operatingarm 4. A casing 5 is connected at one end to the elbow 2 and theopposite end of the casing 5 is connected to a suitabledischarge pipe 6which may be in turn again secured in any; suitable or desired. mannerat its end 7 to the exhaust manifold 1. Within the casing 5 is pivotallymounted the butterfly valve 8 upon a supporting shaft 9, and this valve8 is connected to a thermostatic coil spring 10 which is coiled upon thesupporting shaft 11, this structure being similar to the structure asillustrated in my application Serial Number 565,368, filed September 26,1931, the shaft 11 being mounted upona frame 12 which is pivoted at oneendupon the supporting screws 13. The butterfly valve 8 is adapted to beopened and closed by the'expansion and contraction of the thermostaticcoil spring 10. An adjusting screw '14 passes through the casing 5adjacent the supporting shaft 9 of the butterfly valve 8 and in such aposition as to extend across the face of the valve when so desired, andconstitute a stop whereby the position of the valve may be properlyadjusted, so that this butterfly valve 8 may be fully closed when thechoke valve 15 cooperating therewith, is fully open. The'choke valve 15is connected for simultaneous movement with the butterfly valve 8through a mechanism which will be hereinafter described. The electricalmechanism for controlling theoperation of the butterfly valve 8 ismounted within a housing 16 which is formed upon the side of the casing5, as shown in Figure 2, and a cover plate 1'7 is employed for closingthe outer face of the housing 16, as shown. The casing 5 may be securelyfastened to the manifold 1 by means of the substantially U-'- shapedbolts 18 which engage the laterally ex tending ears 19 of the yoke 20,this yoke 20 being provided with projecting flanges 21 which are adaptedto abut against the manifold'l, as shown in Figure 4,and' by tighteningthe nuts 22 upon the substantially U-shaped bolt' 18, the'yoke 20'should be noted that the supply of current for operating the thermostatis merely taken from the starting motor terminals by parallel line36,and is not wired in series with the starter. The

opening or closing of the points of the thermostat in no way interfereswith the operation of the'starting motor as a sufiicient supply ofcurrent is available through the starting motor cable to operate both.The sleeve has secured thereon an armature 27, and a coil spring 28 hasone end thereofsecured to the pin 29 carried by the armature 27, and theopposite end of the coil spring 28 is secured to the pin 24 which iscarried by the collar 23. This spring 28 is adapted to normally raisethe armature 27 as soon as the electro-magnetis de-energized as'will behereinafter more fully described. The armature 27 isprovided with anotched rear end 31 through which the pin 24 extends, the notch 31permitting a limited free swing of the armature 27 with respect to thepin 24, as'will be obvious by considering Figure 5 of the drawings. Asshown in Figure 1, an electro-magnet is mounted within the housing 16,and is adapted to draw the armature arm 27 downwardly as soon as theelectromagnet 30 is energized. A choke control arm 32 is adjustablylooked upon the sleeve 25 by means of the set screw 33 and this chokecontrol arm 32 is connected to the choke valve 15 by means of a link 34which engages the choke operating arm 35, shown clearly in Figure 1.

The electro-magnet 30 is electrically connected to a wire 36 whichpasses to the starting motor terminal of the starting motor 37, and thisstarting motor terminal of the starting motor 37 is connected to astarting motor switch 38 of the usual type, this switch being in turnconnected to a suitable source of electrical supply 39 which isgrounded, as at 40. The electro-magnet 30 is also connected to a wire 41which in turn is connected to the contact point 42, hereinafterdescribed.

As shown in Figures 1, 4, 5 and 6, there is provided a sectionalcircuit-breaking arm which is used in conjunction with the armature arm27, and this arm 27 carries a laterally extending pin 43 which pin 43 isadapted to fit in between the fingers 44 and 45 of the upper hingedsection 46 of the sectional circuit-breaking arm 47. This sectionalcircuit-breaking arm 4'7 comprises an upper hinged section 46 which fitsin the bifurcated end 48 of the lower section 49 of the arm 47. A coilspring 50 is secured at its respective ends to the respective outer endsof the sections 46 and 49 of the sectional circuit-breaking arm 47 insuch a manner as to cause the sections 46 and 49 to rock upwardly whenthe arm 47 is moved to a position to cause the spring to extend to oneside of the pivot point 51, and to cause the sections 46 and 49 to swingin the opposite direction when the arm 47 is moved to a position tobring the spring 50 to the opposite side of the pivot point 51,.as willbe hereinafter described. The lower section 49 of the sectionalcircuitbreaking arm 47 is provided with a contact point 52 which isadapted to contact with the contact point 42 carried by thecircuit-breaking arm supporting plate 53. A stoppin 54 is carried by theupper end of the plate 53 to limit the swing of the section 46 of thearm 47 in a rearward direction, and the stop pin 55 is carried by thelower end of the plate 53 to limit the swing of the lower section 49 ofthe sectional arm 47 in one direction. The plate 53 carries an anglebracket or extension 56 through which the contact point 42 passes, thiscontact point 42 being insulated with respect to the plate 53. The lowersection 49 of the sectional circuit-breaking arm 47 is grounded, as at57.

Assuming that the motor is cold and the thermostatic coil 10 has fullycontracted, the arm '32 and the armature 27 as well as the choke valve15 on the carburetor 58, are in the approximate position as shown inFigure 1. This may be referred to as the first position. In thisposition, the contact points of the circuit-breaking arm 47 are closed,as illustrated, particular reference being made to the contact points 42and 52. The sleeve 25 is free to rotate upon the shaft 9, but is held inits proper position by the coil spring 28 shown in Figure 1. The slot inthe end of the armature arm 27 which fits over the pin 24 carried by thecollar 23 allows the arm 27 to oscillate on the shaft independently ofthe thermostat but under tension of the spring 28.

When it is desired to start the motor, the

starting motor switch 38, is actuated and this completes an electriccircuit through the magnet 30, through the circuit-breaker contactpoints 42 and 52, the lower section of the arm 47 and to the groundthrough the ground wire 57. As the electro-magnet 30 is magnetized, thearmature arm 27 will be attracted and pulled downwardly to the positionshown in Figure 5 of the drawings, which may be referred to as position2. This in turn moves the choke valve 15 of the carburetor 58 to theposition shown in Figure 5. The motor will then start and the startingmotor switch is disengaged, thereby breaking the circuit through themagnet 30, and this will release the armature arm 27 as well as the arm32, which will return to its normal position suchas is shown in Figure1, .or -to the position 1. The choke valve 15 of the carburetor is soadjusted that the motor will run properlyin this position and as itcontinues to do so the heat of the exhaust gases begin to expand thethermostatic coil 10, thereby lifting the arm 32 to turn open the chokevalve of the carburetor until the motor is fully warmed up and the chokevalve 15 and arm 32 are in position as shown in Figure 6, which may bereferred to as the third position. As the motor warms up causing the arm27 to rise, the circuit breaker is also operated until the arm of thesame passes over the center axis and the contact points are separatedthrough the medium of the spring 50 being moved to the position shown inFigure 6 and beyond said pivot point 51. This movement is occasioned bythe pin 43 pushing upwardly upon the finger 45 and swinging the uppersection 46 of the sectional arm 47 to the position shown in Figure 6,the'armature '27 being moved and capable of movement to a positionbeyond the finger 45, such as is shown in Figure 6. For this reason thefinger 45 is made shorter than the finger 44 to permit the armature arm27 to have this extended movement and to permit the pin 43 to pass outof engagement with the finger 45, the finger 44 preventing suchdisengagement on the downward movement of the armature arm 27. The plate53 is slotted as at 53', and suitable screws 54 pass through the slots53 and any number of slots may be provided as well as any number ofsecuring means whereby the plate 53 may be properly adjusted within thehousing 16, and thereby permit the relative position of the carburetorchoke valve to be varied when-desired. This will permit the position ofthe separation of the points 42 and 52 to be regulated or adjusted byvirtue of the slot openings described. In actual practice, the device isso adjusted that when this stage of its operation just described isreached, the motor no longer needs to be fully choked and as the circuithas been broken through the magnet 30, the armature 2'1 will not beattracted if the starting motor switch is engaged. As the arm 2'7continues to rise to the position shown in Figure 6, or assumes theposition shown in Figure 6, the engaging pin 43 in the outer end of thearmature 27 slips out of the slotted openings in the fingers 44 and 45thus permitting the spring 50 to pull the sections 46 and 49 of the arm47 against the stop pins 54 and 55 respectively, for keeping the contactpoints separated. When the motor is stopped and begins to cool, theabove actions are repeated in reverse order and the various parts arereturned to their respective positions to their starting points.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that a very simple andefficient means has been produced for electrically controlling theopening and closing of the choke valve of a carburetor in conjunctionwith the certain thermostatically controlled means which willautomatically return the various parts to their normal positions as theengine cools.

It should be understood that certain detail changes in the mechanicalconstruction may be employed without departing from the spirit of theinvention so long as these changes fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:- I

1. An electrically controlled means for actuating a choke valve of anengine comprising an op erating shaft, an armature mounted upon saidshaft, an electro-magnet for swinging said armature, means mounted uponsaid shaft and cooperating with said armature for permitting a limitedswing of said armature independent of said shaft, electrical controlmeans for said armature, and means actuated by said armature forbreaking the circuit through said electro-magnet.

2. An electrical mechanism for controlling the operation of a chokevalve of an engine comprising an operating shaft, an arm loosely mountedupon said shaft, means keyed to said shaft for limiting the independentswing of said arm upon said shaft, an electro-magnet for pulling saidarm in one direction, spring means for moving the arm in the oppositedirection when released, electrical means for actuating saidelectro-magnet, and circuit-breaking means actuated by said arm fordeenergizing said electro-magnet at a predetermined point.

3. In combination with a thermostatically operated shaft, an arm carriedby said shaft and loosely mounted thereon, means keyed to said shaft forlimiting the independent swing of said arm upon said shaft, anelectro-magnet for pulling said arm in one direction, meansforelectrically controlling the operation of said electro-magnet, acircuit-breaking arm, said circuit-breaking arm comprising a pair ofpivotally connected mem bers, one of said members provided with a forkedprojection, means carried by said first-mentioned arm for engaging saidforked projection, the other section of said circuit-breaking armprovided with a contact means, means electrically connected with saidelectro-magnet for contacting with said first-mentioned contact means,means for pivotally supporting said circuit-breaking arm, and springmeans connected to the sections of said circuit-breaking arm for movingsaid contact points carried thereby to an open position as saidfirst-mentioned arm is raised to a predetermined position.

4. The combination with a thermostatically controlled shaft, a collarkeyed to said shaft, a

laterally extending pin carried by said collar, an armature arm looselymounted upon said shaft and 'provided with a notched end, said notchedend straddling said pin, said pin permitting a limited freedom of swingof said armature arm with respect to said collar and causing said arm'armature arm loosely mounted upon said shaft and provided with a notchedend, said notched end straddling said pin, said pin permitting alimitedfreedom of swing of said armature arm with respect to said collar andcausing said arm to swing with said collar when said armature arm ismoved to a predetermined position, spring means for normally raisingsaid armature arm, electromagnetic means for pulling said armature armdownwardly, circuit-breaking means actuated by the outer end of saidarmature arm, and means for electrically connecting said electr c-magnetwith said circuit-breaking means.

6. An electrically controlled means for actuating a choke valve of anengine comprising a choke valve supporting member, an armature formoving said supporting member, means for permitting limited relativemovement between said supporting member and said armature,electro-magnetic means for moving said armature, and means actuated bysaid armature for breaking the current through said electro-magneticmeans.

7. The combination with an exhaust manifold, a thermostaticallycontrolled butterfly valve mounted therein, a shaft for supporting saidthermostatically controlled butterfly valve, a collar keyed to saidshaft, a laterally extending pin carried by said collar, an armature armloosely mounted upon said shaft and provided with a notched end, saidnotched end straddling said pin, said pin permitting a limited freedomof swing of said armature arm with respect to said collar and causingsaid arm to swing with said collar when said armature arm is moved to apredetermined position, spring means for normally raising said armaturearm, electro-magnetic means for pulling said armature arm downwardly,circuit-breaking means actuated by the outer end of said armature arm,means for electrically connecting said electro-magnet with saidcircuitbreaking means, a choke valve, and means operably connecting saidchoke valve with said butterfly valve supporting shaft whereby saidchoke valve will be moved to an open position as said butterfly valve ismoved to a closed position.

8. The combination with an exhaust manifold, a thermostaticallycontrolled butterfly valve mounted therein, a shaft for supportingsaidthermostatically controlled butterfly valve, a collar keyed to saidshaft, a laterally extending pin carried by said collar, an armature armloosely mounted upon said shaft and provided with a notched end, saidnotched end straddling said pin, said pin permitting a limited freedomof swing of said armature arm with respect to said collar and causingsaid arm to swing with said collar when said armature arm is moved to apredetermined position, spring means for nor-,

- circuit-breaking means,

mally raising said armature arm, electro-mag- ,netic means for pullingsaid armature arm downwardly, circuit-breaking means actuated by theouter end of said armature arm, means for electricallyconnecting'saidelectrmmagnet with said a choke valve, means operablyconnecting said choke valve with said butterfly valve supporting shaftwhereby said choke valve will be moved to an open position as

